Tag Archive | Puppy

We have a new Great Pyrenees puppy. We just got her Monday. She is 10 weeks old and already too heavy to carry. She is an all white Pyr instead of the more typical badger coloration. Most people think all Pyrs are white because that is the color most often pictured in books. I’ve had to explain before that no my puppies aren’t mutts because they have spots. Just like Dalmatian puppies aren’t mutts because they don’t have spots! 🙂

The breeder was helpful and kept the puppy until she was 10 weeks old even though some of the pups were sold and gone as early as 4 weeks. Don’t believe folks when they say you need to get a puppy really early for it to bond with you. You want to get a dog, not a dog that thinks it is a human. Dogs that think they are human will treat humans like they would another dog. This can mean bossing, dominance, biting and eventually lead to a dangerous situation.

Anyway, the puppy stayed with it’s mom right along with the goats until 10 weeks old. The moma dog then was able to do the big training for us. If you ever watch a good moma dog training older puppies you would know what I mean. There will be growling, nipping and scruff shakes when the puppy is too rough, bossy or not staying in the peeking order. When with goats the moma dog will keep the puppy from rough housing too much and from chasing the kids. So now we have a puppy who understands submission, discipline and that it doesn’t rule the roost (or barn yard). When grown the puppy should be the boss over the animals it needs to learn that it isn’t top dog but humans are. I’m the top dog around here (farm wise) and dominance is not allowed over people of any size.

So far everything has gone very well. Except naming! We still don’t have a name for her. 🙁 But we will sometime, plus a dozen nicknames.

The first night she spent in a large 10 x 10 dog kennel with a young goat due to be weaned. The puppy did great and didn’t even cry until around 5:30 the next morning. Now the goat did cry for moma. Last night the same goat spent the night with the puppy and I didn’t even hear a maa until around 6:30. The puppy never a whimper. During the day the puppy is allowed free supervised time in the barn yard as much as possible. When the puppy is in the kennel during the day a different selection of goats are rotated through. Playing and rough housing are discouraged. Not that the pup would do too much damage now, but habits start young (just like with children). A hundred pounds of rough housing dog could kill a young kid.

We are introducing chickens gradually. While the puppy came from a farm with chickens none were free range chickens so that is a new experience. No chasing or pouncing on chickens is allowed. Thus all interactions are supervised closely for now.

Contrary to some opinions Guardian dogs don’t have to be ignored. They need to be trust worthy with people and especially children. We don’t live in a remote area where rustlers are stealing animals. Even a trusty worthy Pyr will guard the place from visitors up to no good. We handle the puppy, walk the puppy on a leash and socialize it well. Most handling is done in the barn area though and we aren’t bringing it to the house to play.

Training a new puppy takes lots of work but it is worth it to have a well trained dog that you can trust.

My only complaint about her so far is that she likes to sit in her water. 🙁 So the fresh bath didn’t last long. But at least heatstroke risk is minimal since it has been upper 90’s for almost 3 weeks now with no real rain. Pyrs are smart.

So I guess this will be the regular appearance. Wet and muddy. 🙁 Well at least she is red like all the other “white” animals here, she fits in well.

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The most important fact necessary before reading this website is to examine yourself to see if you are a Christian. If you are not a Christian, much of this would be ‘Foolishness’ to you.
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1 Cor 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
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Acts 17:11
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